Bruises and Bitemarks
by xgoodxgirlxgonexbadx
Summary: AU. All human.The lives of Edward and Jasper are forever changed after their father decides to bring Alice Brandon, a former patient into their home. Before her their lives were perfectly normal, uncomplicated. The adopted sons of the best doctor and have a loving family. No one realized what complications a new sister would bring. POLY relationship
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello to anyone who has decided to read this! I randomly got this idea while reading some older fanfiction this week. I have written other Twilight fan fiction of you may have read the other one that I posted on here but I have taken a break from. I lost my muse for it but I'm hoping it comes back! In the mean time I have decided to write another one! I am going to let everyone know now that this story is going to be mature in content and it does involve a threeway relationship. If you do not like stuff like that then I suggest finding something else! Otherwise I hope you guys like it! Please review and all that wonderful stuff! **

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It was a typical night at the hospital for Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He had done his rounds, a decent amount of paper work and as always called to check in at home. When he finally had a free moment he made his usual trek to visit one of his favorite patients. Her name was Mary Alice Brandon but she had told him during one of her lucid moments she preferred Alice. She was only sixteen and had been dumped right in front of the hospital. Her injuries had been alarming especially in the small town of Forks, Washington. It was rare that there were ever cases of child abuse. Needless to say child protective services had gotten involved. The idea that she was going to end up in foster care wasn't one that sat well with him.

He pushed that thought from his mind before going inside. Every night since she had been admitted he made sure to check in on her. Sometimes they would talk, watch television or play a card game of some sort. He wasn't too surprised when he walked inside to see that she was sitting up. The television was on but she wasn't paying attention to it. Every single time that he stepped inside he couldn't help but take a good look at her. She looked so small in the hospital bed, surrounded by equipment with an IV in her arm.

Her face seemed to light up the moment she saw him," Carlisle."

He forced himself to smile in spite of the thoughts that were troubling him," Alice, how are you feeling this evening?"

All that she did was shrug and motioned for him to sit down. He reached to grab the mint green chair from its place and pulled it closer to her bed. She noticed the look on his face, having the feeling they were about to have some sort of serious talk. That was the only reason she reached to turn off the television.

"What's wrong? I thought I was doing okay."

"You are doing okay I just have a lot on my mind."

"Oh, well does it have something to do with me?"

Should he tell her? Carlisle knew that she was going to have to eventually find out. It was probably something that her case worker should tell her but he felt like he should be the one. He wanted to be able to explain everything to her because he liked to think that they were friends. After all he had grown very fond of her.

He took a deep breath, struggling to figure out how to explain," You are going to be released soon and I have been thinking a lot about it lately, your case worker said something about trying to find a foster family but you are a little bit older than most that get placed."

He couldn't help but notice that her face seemed to drain of all color.

"I was thinking that maybe, if you'd like," he began, knowing he was about to say something he couldn't take back," That you could come live with me and my family."

It wouldn't be the first time that he and wife had adopted. His wife Esme and he had found out shortly after they were married that she couldn't have children. They had considered surrogacy but Esme had decided she wanted to adopt. She had convinced Carlisle by saying it was a way that they could help children in need. First it had been their oldest Edward and then Jasper had come about a year later. After that they had figured that two was enough. Esme had always wanted a daughter but he hadn't even brought the idea up about adopting Alice or bringing her into their home.

He made a mental note to bring it up to her the first chance that he could.

"I would like that very much," said Alice after a few seconds, clearly stunned at the offer.

* * *

At least once a week the Cullen family made sure to have dinner together. Sometimes they went out and other times they stayed in. On the nights that they stayed in Esme went all out. Even though she had a demanding career as an interior decorator she did love cooking. Most times she would try some recipe that she had learned about off of the food network. She always went all out and made sure that her sons were home. Jasper was nearly always home but Edward was usually out with his long term girlfriend, Bella.

Esme set the last plate on the table, a smile on her face. Her eyes went towards the watch that decorated her slim wrist. Carlisle had said that he would be home by six. He had also said something about some big announcement. He had also stressed that he wanted both the boys there. She had already called Edward and told him that he better be home in time for dinner. Even though he had tried protesting she wouldn't have any of it. Jasper was up in his room but she knew he would come down once he heard the rest of his family showed up.

She went to wipe off the counters in the kitchen and put everything that she had used in the brand new dish washer. They had recently remolded their kitchen and they had the best of the best. The door that led to the garage opened to show both Edward and Carlisle walking in. Carlisle set down his bag and shrugged off his jacket. He walked into the kitchen to see Esme just closing the fridge and went to wrap his arms around her from behind.

"I'm so happy to be home," he said, smiling when she turned in his arms to press a kiss to his lips.

Edward pretended to blanch at the sight of his parents. He always joked that it was gross to see them kiss. However he knew that it was a sign that love could last for a long time. He walked towards the dining room when he realized that dinner was indeed ready. On the plates was steak, green beans and mashed potatoes. It was more average than what Esme usually made. If he had to guess she hadn't been feeling like making something exotic like she sometimes did.

There was the sound of footsteps and his head turned to see Jasper walking down. Jasper looked like he had just woken up from the look on his face and his hair was tousled. Edward watched his younger brother take a seat before sitting down himself. Seconds later Esme and Carlisle were taking their seats. Soon everyone was eating and talking about what had been going on with them that week. Edward announced that it was his and Bella's fifth anniversary and he was planning on taking her out to Seattle to celebrate.

Carlisle listened to the conversation going on around him but didn't say much. Normally he always contributed to the conversation in one way or the other. He liked to be involved in both of his son's lives as best as he could. Sometimes his demanding career got in the way of that. Of course he loved his job but he loved his family so much more. Finally by the time that Esme brought out the dessert which was peach cobbler, he knew it was time to make his announcement.

After he cleared his throat and took a sip of wine, he began to speak," Everyone, I have something that I need to ask you and I want you all to think before answering," all eyes were on him," You all remember the patient that I have talked about, Alice, she is going to be released soon and I was thinking of maybe bringing her into our family."

His hand had reached for Esme's without him even realizing it. Esme's fingers laced through his and she squeezed his hand to let him know that she was there for him. Both of their eyes were on Jasper, waiting to see how he would react. He had always been the one who had trouble with change. It had taken him ages to even begin to trust them or Edward. After what he had been put through it was quite understandable.

"A sister?" asked Edward after swallowing what was in his mouth," How old is she again?"

"Sixteen," answered Jasper to everyone's surprise. A sheepish grin appeared on his face," I remembered dad mentioning it when she was brought in that night."

Esme was looking towards her sons, wanting to see their reactions. It wasn't surprising that it seemed like they didn't know what to say. It wasn't exactly something that they had never thought about. As far as they had known there would be no more siblings, let alone a sister.

"I would love for her to be in our family," stated Esme without even having to think about it. She had always wanted to have a daughter to spoil and cherish.

Carlisle was relieved to hear that his wife had agreed. He looked over at his two sons, waiting for them to say something. If they didn't agree with the idea he knew he couldn't do it. The only way that he could was if everyone was on board. If not then Alice was going to end up going into foster care.

Edward cleared his throat after what seemed like an eternity," I don't see the problem with it."

That just left Jasper who looked deep in thought. No one was ever able to predict what would happen with Jasper or what he was thinking. It had been that way since he had been brought to them. He looked up when he realized that everyone was waiting for him to speak. What could he say? It was obvious that both of his parents wanted this. The last thing that he ever would want to do was disappoint them.

He forced himself to nod since he wasn't sure he could bring himself to speak.

* * *

The day of Alice's release was nerve wracking for her. She had been told about Carlisle's decision and she was extremely nervous about meeting her soon to be family. He had told her about his two sons and his wife. It was just going to be Carlisle picking her up while they set up some sort of dinner. Family dinner was going to be something new for her and she wasn't sure what to think about it. However in spite of her nerves she was relieved to be able to get out of the hospital.

She had been given some fresh clothes that Esme had purchased after learning her size. They were designer, the most expensive clothing Alice had ever laid eyes on, let alone worn. Every few seconds she tugged at the shirt, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. It was obvious that she looked way better than she had when she had been brought in. Her eyes were still bruised and there was the brace on her wrist but she did look better. It helped that she had finally been able to shower. Her hair was in some kind of order and she finally felt human again.

She slowly walked out of the bathroom to see Carlisle standing there. It was almost strange to see him not wearing the usual lab coat or have any equipment with him. He was smiling but it wasn't often that he didn't smile from what she had noticed.

"Are you ready to go?"

She barely nodded, not sure she could speak.

He was still smiling," Everyone is so excited to meet you Esme is practically preparing a feast."

Carlisle motioned for her to follow him out of the room. It took her a few seconds to actually get herself moving but she managed to do so.

"It will be great to eat something that isn't hospital food," she stated after a few seconds, figuring that she should try to talk. It was the polite thing to do, wasn't it?

The two of them headed out of the hospital and over to his car. It wasn't a surprise when he held the door open for her and she slid inside. Her heart was practically in her throat and she was struggling to think straight. Most of the drive Alice just listened to Carlisle talk. He didn't seem to have a problem carrying on a conversation by himself. She was thankful since her social skills weren't exactly up to par.

Her eyes were drinking everything in that they passed. It all looked so beautiful, so different from what she usually saw. Finally they were pulling up in front of one of the biggest houses Alice had ever seen. She was shocked at the fact that it was actually the place that she was going to call home. It was hard for her to not gape, staring at it. Instead she nudged the door shut using her hip and followed him up towards the front door.

The two of them were soon stepping inside. Alice glanced around as she shrugged off her coat and he reached to take it from her. Her arms wrapped around herself and she took a deep breath. It was taking all of her self-control to not bolt out the front door. Instead she was rooted to her spot while trying to look around at everything. From what she could see Carlisle and Esme made more than enough money. If she remembered correctly Esme was an interior designer that worked in Seattle. A lot of her clients were well off and paid her more than enough.

It explained a lot of the things that Alice was looking at. If she had to guess it was all designer brands and ordered from catalogues. She felt a little bit out of place and it was obvious from the look in her eyes. Carlisle's hand came to rest on her shoulder and he gently ushered her forward.

"Here we are," announced Carlisle once they had stepped into the dining room.

The room went silent the moment that the words left his mouth. Alice nearly stepped back when she realized that all eyes were on her. She wasn't used to be stared at, most of her life she had been invisible. Half the time it had been like she hadn't existed until something went wrong. Instead of dwelling on that her attention went to the two teenage boys in front of her. Carlisle had told her a little bit about them their names were Jasper and Edward. Edward was the oldest and the two of them had been adopted at a very young age.

"Alice this is Edward," Carlisle motioned towards the one with copper hair," And that's Jasper."

Her gaze went to Jasper first since he was staring so intently at her. His hair was dark blonde, curly and framed his face. His eyes were a dark shade of green. It wasn't surprising that he was so pale since Forks wasn't known for being sunny. The look on his face was extremely intense. He hadn't even cracked a smile and she didn't know what to think of that. His build was lean, somewhat athletic from what she could see. He was dressed simply in a black sweater and jeans. Her gaze went towards Edward who was actually smiling.

His hair looked like it was copper colored and seemed to go in every single direction. His eyes were dark, they almost looked black. From what Alice could tell he was tall, lanky. Just like Jasper he wasn't extremely dressed up. He was wearing a navy blue long sleeve shirt and black jeans.

Alice realized that she hadn't said anything and her face flushed," It's nice to meet you both."

Seconds later Alice found herself being engulfed in a hug. She jumped in surprise but slowly wrapped her arms around the older woman.

"We are so happy you are here!" stated Esme, grinning from ear to ear. Her smile was almost infectious.

It was obvious to Alice that Esme was a kind woman. Not a lot of women would have been thrilled at the idea of taking in a teenage girl. Some would have downright refused but Esme had always been motherly. In fact she seemed to mother not only her sons but their friends whenever they came over.

Esme pulled away and motioned for Alice to take a seat. She dropped down into the chair that Esme had motioned for her to take. Soon Carlisle and Esme had taken their own seats. There was so much food in front of her that Alice wasn't even sure she could eat. She watched Esme who had begun to put food onto the plate in front of her.

"This looks great," she observed, staring down at the plate since all eyes were still on her," So much better than hospital food."

Most of the meal she was questioned by Esme and Carlisle, sometimes Edward. It was only Jasper who barely seemed to say anything. The only time that he did was when he was asked something. Otherwise he just ate his food and sometimes glanced over at her. She was told that she was already registered at the local high school. Her first day was tomorrow and she would be riding with Edward and Jasper.

"Edward would you please show Alice her room?"

Edward nodded, smiling as he stood up. He motioned for her to follow him and she slowly got up. After sending one last look at everyone she followed him up the staircase. There were tons of pictures hanging on the wall in frames. The pictures were of the entire family. She couldn't resist the urge to stop to take a look at all of them. To her surprise there were pictures of Carlisle and Esme in their teenage years. Most people seemed to pack those away or they were pictures that their parents had. Of course there was one of them on their wedding day, graduation day and then came the pictures of Jasper and Edward.

In almost every single one Edward was smiling. However Jasper wasn't smiling in a lot of them. In fact he was usually hiding behind Carlisle or Esme in most of them. She looked over at Edward who was at the top of the staircase.

"You guys look so happy in these," she observed, feeling envious. Edward and Jasper had, had a childhood that Alice never had. They probably knew how lucky they were but that didn't help her any.

Edward noticed the look on her face, walking down the steps till he was beside her," Were you happy before you came here?"

Why was he asking her that? Alice would have thought that the bruises and brace on her arm were evidence enough that she wasn't. She shrugged since she didn't know what to say. Instead she just turned towards him and waited for him to move. He seemed to take the hint and they walked up the stairs together. After walking down a long hallway he opened the door that was third on the left. The room had formally been used as a guest room for whenever a relative would show up.

The room was huge, bigger than any she had ever seen. There was one wall of glass that had dark purple curtains hanging from it. Esme had taken it upon herself to redecorate the room for Alice. The other three walls were cream colored and the floor was cherry stained mahogany wood. On the right wall were two other doors that led to a closet and a bathroom.

"Do you like it?" asked Edward who was hovering in the doorway," Be warned if you say no, mom will redecorate this entire room until you do."

Alice laughed at his words, turning around to get a good look before looking over at him," It's perfect," she walked towards the queen sized bed that was covered by a white duvet with purple trim," If there was a word better than perfect I would use it."

He took a few steps forward and reached for her hand," You'll want to get a good look at this." Her eye brows shot up as she was led to the closet.

He reached to open the double doors to show a walk in closet. Alice would have thought that it would be empty but it wasn't. It was crammed with designer threads that still had price tags. She stepped forward to glance at the size of the nearest article of clothing. Every single thing was her size and she looked over at Edward.

"Mom can be a bit," he started, trying to choose his words carefully," Overzealous sometimes."

Alice didn't see a problem with Esme being overzealous. In fact she would be happy if Esme continued to do so. For as long as she could remember no one had given her anything. Most of her clothing had been her sister's cast offs. She looked towards the clothing, not even sure she would have a chance to wear everything. There were even formal dresses from what she could see. She had only seen dresses like those in fashion magazines or in the windows of shops in the mall.

"I'll have to thank Esme."

"Don't call her Esme," said Edward instantly, taking a step towards her," She'll want you to call her mom, you are family now."

It took Alice a few seconds to think about what he said. She knew that he was right but that didn't make it any easier. It was going to take her a bit to adjust to everything. Her entire life had been changed and she was going to be part of an actual family. That was not exactly an easy pill to swallow. She slowly nodded since she didn't know what to say to him.

"I'll leave you to get settled."

After that he was out of the room and Alice was alone. It was the first time that she felt like she was actually alone. At the hospital there were always nurses checking on her. She walked towards the bed that was far too big for someone like her. She doubted that she would even take up any space on it. Instead of climbing onto it she just stared down at it. One of her hands shot out to run along the blanket, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Her movements were slow but she managed to climb up onto the bed. It was almost funny to her when she let herself lie down. She felt like a little kid that had climbed onto their parents' bed.

* * *

Jasper slid the dish washer shut after making sure that he hadn't missed anything. Edward had set the table so it was his turn to clear it and make sure that the dishes got done. He was always thankful that Esme loved to have the best of the best appliances. It made everything so much easier when it came to chores. His head lifted after he started the dish washer to see that his family had gone their own ways. Esme and Carlisle had wanted to go for a walk and Edward was upstairs with their new sister. Even the thought of her made his stomach lurch.

He had been shocked when she had first appeared in the dining room. Honestly Jasper hadn't known what he had expected. It probably shouldn't have been shocking to see the bruises on her face or the brace on her wrist. Carlisle had told them all the extent of her injuries. However actually seeing her had made it seem so much more real. It reminded him of how he had looked when he had been brought to his parents. He would never forget the bruises that had decorated his body. He certainly would never forget the feeling of broken ribs or a broken leg.

What shocked him the most was the fact that someone could do something like that to a girl who looked so fragile. She reminded him of those old porcelain dolls that his biological mother had loved. She looked like she would break if even held too tightly by someone. The bruises that marred her face had made him angry for reasons that he couldn't even begin to understand. It wasn't like she meant anything to him. She was basically a stranger to him and he didn't know why he was thinking about her so much for. She probably thought that he was a freak anyway because of how little he had spoken during dinner. Edward had been the one to ask her questions and be his normal charming self.

Edward had always been the one that girls fussed over. He was always the one that had girls giving him their number and asking him out nearly every single day. Hearts had been broken the day that Edward had decided to date Isabella Swan. She was a transfer student that had come to live with her dad. Jasper wasn't sure why Edward was with her but he didn't bother questioning his brother. He had more important things to worry about like how he was going to deal with his new sister. The idea of even having a sister was one that freaked him out.

He had never really pictured himself having a sister, let alone a little sister. Although she wasn't actually related to him he knew that he needed to think of her that way. He knew that it meant he should talk with her, get to know her and everything. That was what normal people did right? Only Jasper knew and had always known that he was not normal. He hadn't been from the start but it had never bothered him. It sometimes bothered other people but a lot of them had just gotten used to it. Only a few knew the reasons behind it.

The general population of Forks didn't know that he had been abused by the man that was supposed to be his father. His mother had been too scared to try to do something about it. The only reason that anything had been done was because a neighbor had witnessed his dad beating the tar out of him. Social services had been contacted and that was it. Jasper had been yanked right out of their home and had been lucky to end up with Carlisle and Esme.

He took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do. He had to go talk to her or at least try to. His social skills weren't anything compared to Edward's. After a few seconds he walked out of the kitchen, through the living room and up the staircase. Of course he already knew where Alice's room was. Esme had insisted he help her with the redecorating that she had needed to get done. His hand shot out to rap against the doorframe since the door was thrown open and he poked his head in.

Alice's body shot up the moment that she heard someone knocking. She had thought that it would be Carlisle coming to check on her but instead she saw that it was Jasper. He looked nervous and a bit out of place.

"Is it okay if I come in?" he asked, the first words he had said to her.

She nodded but no words came from her. Jasper didn't know if that was good or bad. He slowly stepped inside and glanced around the room. It was hard for him to come up with something to say. Conversation was not one of his strong suits. What could you say to someone who was supposed to be family?

Alice took a step towards him, playing with her brace," I'm sorry if this is weird for you, I know that it's weird for me so I can only imagine that it's hard for you as well."

She was apologizing to him?

Jasper slowly shook his head, fighting the urge to smile," Don't apologize, I'm sorry about how I've been acting," he paused," I have a hard time with change and it's not anything against you. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that so that you didn't think you had done something wrong."

It was a relief for Alice to hear that she hadn't offended him in some way.

"How is your wrist feeling? I know how much of a pain in the ass broken bones can be," asked Jasper, struggling to come up with something else to say.

"It's okay I guess, it's better than some of the other injuries I could have had."

"Carlisle told the school that you were going to have to wear sunglasses inside for a while," he stated, motioning towards his own eyes.

Alice hadn't even thought about that. Most people probably would have but not her. Of course Carlisle would have thought ahead about that. She had hoped to get some make up to try to cover them up. The last thing that she needed was for everyone to be staring at her. From what she had been told though people were going to be staring at her either way. Forks didn't often get brand new students from what she had been told. Most of the people had known each other since they were probably in diapers.

"That was nice of him," she said, realizing that she hadn't spoken," I'm sure it will make me seem mysterious."

"Yeah, they probably will."

She noticed how he seemed to not be sure what to do. He was merely standing in front of her and looking around. There was the desk chair that he could sit in but he hadn't. She motioned for him to sit beside her after throwing her legs over the side of the bed. Of course her feet didn't even touch the floor when she did. He slowly dragged his feet over and took a seat beside her. Of course he made sure that there was some space between them.

"Edward and I will take you to school tomorrow," he paused, trying to think," Our parents pulled some strings so that you have all your classes with at least one of us."

"Oh, that's good I was kind of worried about being alone."

"You were?"

"I haven't ever really had a lot of friends," she explained," I was invisible at home and at my school."

That was the best way she could think to put what she had gone through. At school as much as she would have liked to be invisible she wasn't. Plenty of people would tease or rather torment her on a daily basis. No one ever did anything and the teachers always seemed to look the other way. The athletes were always held in high esteem and they were usually the ones that did all the tormenting.

"Well you have Edward and you have me now," he said, not really thinking about it.

His words brought a smile to Alice's face. She looked over at him, thinking about how different everything was going to be. Her life in the tiny town of Forks was going to be so different from her old life. It was all thanks to Carlisle and if she thought about it, also his family which was now her family.

"I'm glad that I have the two of you."

"You'll also have Bella."

"Who is Bella?"

"Edward's first serious girlfriend," he explained.

"Oh, do you like her?"

"She's okay I guess."

Jasper looked over at Alice who was looking down at the floor. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence or an awkward one. They just sat there, side by side. The only sound in the room was the sound of their breathing and the clock ticking.

"You should probably get some rest."

"Yeah, I guess, I'll see you in the morning?"

He nodded and slid from the bed," Goodnight Alice."

"Goodnight Jasper."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So four reviews, some people are following and some people put this in their favorites! I'm glad to see that some people are interested! Sorry it took me a bit to update, I just got my internet back! The progress is going to be a bit slow at first but eventually it will speed up! I just don't want to make it seemed too rushed! So here is the next chapter! Please review and all that! Hope you like it!**

* * *

Jasper had never been a morning person. If you asked him mornings were the worst part of the day. In fact if he didn't have coffee first thing he would be in a horrible mood most of the day. He dreaded the sound of the alarm clock going off, signaling the start of the day. He always seemed to move in slow motion no matter what. It was no different the day after Alice had arrived. He stumbled down the staircase into the kitchen to see Esme and Edward were the only ones there. Carlisle was still sleeping since he had worked the graveyard shift, yet again.

"Where is Alice?" he asked, reaching for the cup of coffee that Esme had slid his way.

Edward looked up from his bowl of cereal," She's stressing over what to wear but if she doesn't hurry up we will be late."

Jasper merely nodded, sitting down beside his brother at the island. A yawn fell from him before he all but downed his coffee. His eyes went towards the clock to see that it was almost seven. Seven was the time that he and Edward usually took off for school. If they were ever late there was no doubt that his parents would hear about it. Everyone seemed to know everyone's business. Secrets were rare in small towns, everyone knew that.

Edward let out a small yawn, putting his spoon into the empty bowl. He shoved it towards Esme who already had the dishwasher open and waiting. He looked over at Jasper with a shrug before getting up to go see what Alice was doing. Instead of walking he just jogged up the stairs and went to knock on Alice's door. Instead of waiting for an answer he nudged the door open using the toe of his boot

"Alice?"

She whirled around at the sound of his voice the look on her face was like a deer in headlights. There were clothes strewn all over the neatly made bed. It was obvious that she was worried about what to wear. She had on a charcoal colored sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans. Her feet were bare but there were tons of shoes around her.

"We are getting ready to go, are you ready?"

Alice shook her head, a frantic look in her eyes.

He sighed at the look on her face before walking over to the pile of shoes. His eyes scanned each pair before he found what he was looking for. He picked up a pair of black converse and held them out to her," Wear these."

Once she had her shoes on she went to put on a pair of sunglasses. He took note of the fact that she had on make-up, some of it covering her bruises. The sunglasses hid what the make-up couldn't. Before she could grab her back pack Edward got to it. The two of them walked out of her room and out to the garage where Jasper was waiting. Alice tried not to stare at the sight of how many cars there were. Each and every one of them looked luxury and very expensive.

Jasper was sitting in the driver's seat of Edward's Volvo. Edward motioned for Alice to get into the passenger seat before he slid into the back. Alice climbed into the seat and made sure to buckle up. They were soon out of the garage and speeding down the street. While they were driving Alice was looking around at everything in the car. Most of the cars that she had been in were not nearly as nice as the one she was sitting in. Most of them had been run down, rusted and basically junk.

They arrived at Forks High within a matter of minutes. The parking lot was already full of cars and of course their fellow students. Some were talking to their friends, others paying attention to their phones. Alice was trying her best to keep her nerves under control. She focused on her lap while Jasper pulled the car into their usual spot. Edward was the first out and he went around opening the door for Alice. She took a few deep breaths before slowly climbing out and throwing her backpack over her shoulder. The moment that she did she felt like all eyes were on her.

Of course it was then that she remembered Forks High probably didn't get too many new students. She had the feeling that the fact that she was with Edward and Jasper didn't help much. The two of them were probably popular if she was guessing correctly. The groups of people were staring; some were even pointing and whispering to each other. They were probably all wondering who she was.

Edward threw his arm around her shoulders," Try not to be so nervous," he whispered so that others wouldn't hear," Jasper and I will look out for you, don't forget that."

She doubted she would be able to talk so she just nodded. Jasper was at her other side as soon as he had locked the car. He didn't seem to pay any attention to the people who stared. Instead he tucked his hands into his pockets and just walked alongside them. It was weird for so many people to be staring at her. She was not used to being the center of attention, anywhere, ever. Yet there were tons of people her age openly gawking at her. Was she really so strange to them?

"I'll take you to the office so that you can get your schedule and everything," stated Jasper who had just spotted Bella walking towards them.

Edward dropped his arm from Alice before rushing to greet her. Alice couldn't resist the urge to get a good look at the girl that was dating one of her brothers. She could see what Edward found attractive about her. However she was still surprised at the sight of her. She had thought that Edward would be with someone blonde, stick thin etc. Bella was none of those things though and Alice was pleased because of that.

She turned away when she saw that Edward had leaned down to pull Bella into a kiss. It wasn't just a mere peck and chaste was the last word Alice would use. In fact the kiss was making Alice extremely uncomfortable. She looked towards Jasper in hopes that he would usher her away. He seemed to get the message because he grasped her by her good arm to lead her down the hall. Together they seemed to melt right into the sea of students. Most of which stopped to try to get a good look at her. She hoped that they weren't saying bad things about her but there was no way of knowing.

* * *

Jasper opened the door to the main office which was quieter than the halls. Behind the huge desk were a few smaller desks that some older women sat at. All of them were talking, drinking coffee and of course, working. None of them seemed to notice Jasper and Alice were standing there until Jasper cleared his throat. The entire room went silent and Alice shifted uncomfortably. The woman whose desk was closest quickly sprang to her feet and shuffled over.

"How can I help you?" she asked, her eyes seeming to appraise Alice.

Jasper stepped forward but made sure that Alice was right beside him," My sister, Alice, it's her first day and we need her schedule, locker number, those sorts of things."

Alice was relieved that Jasper had spoken. She really wasn't sure that she could do it. The woman nodded before going to find the papers that they needed. In the meantime Alice tried to ignore the looks being sent her way. It was normal and she knew that. People were naturally curious and Carlisle had quite the reputation around town. Everyone was probably wondering about the new daughter of his that had been a former patient at the hospital.

"Here we are," said the woman, placing the papers in front of them," We made sure that your schedule was how Dr. Cullen wanted it and welcome dear."

Alice reached to take everything after letting her eyes scan all the papers in front of her. Jasper merely nodded to the woman since Alice clearly was not going to speak. He led her out the door before snatching the papers from her to look at them himself. He was glad to see that Carlisle had managed to pull some strings to get Alice into the same classes as him and Edward. It was obvious that she was going to have a bit of a hard time adjusting. She reminded him of himself back when he had first been brought to Carlisle. That was part of the reason that he wanted to help her as much as he possibly could.

"So your locker is this way," he stated, pointing in the direction," And you have your first class with Edward, I'll walk you to it before I head to my own class."

At Jasper's words, Alice felt a slight pang of disappointment. It wasn't that she didn't like Edward but she had wanted to try to talk more with Jasper. He seemed to actually be opening up to her which was a surprise. She had thought that it might take some time before he even really talked with her. She let him lead her to her locker where she put away the things that she wasn't going to need for the first part of the day. After that Jasper led her to her first class but said goodbye to her at the door. The moment he was gone Alice felt her stomach go into knots.

She shook her head at herself before walking into the room. Some students were already in their seats, others were standing around and the teacher was looking over something at his desk. Alice timidly walked over to him and held out the slip of paper she needed him to sign.

"I'm Alice Br-"she stopped herself, realizing what she was about to say," I'm Alice Cullen, the new student."

"Ah yes," said the teacher, reaching to take the paper from her to sign off," Carlisle's daughter, welcome and please have a seat."

Alice looked around the room in hopes of spotting Edward. He was seated in the very last row and there was an empty seat next to him. His backpack was actually placed on the chair to prevent anyone else from taking the seat. She weaved her way through the desks, noticing a few girls glaring at her as she did. Once she reached the desk Edward removed the bag and she plopped down into it.

"Ignore the glares," whispered Edward, leaning over," They don't seem to realize that you are my sister."

"Also you have a girlfriend," she whispered back, relieved to know that she was getting glared at," I was wondering why I was getting stared at so much."

Before Edward could respond the final bell rang and class began. During most of the period Alice tried to pay attention. She even went so far as to taking some notes. School had never really been her main focus growing up. Usually she had viewed it as a safe haven from the hell that had been her home. Once in a while she glanced over at Edward to see that he hadn't even opened his notebook or used his pen. Her eye brows shot up when she noticed and he just grinned at her.

* * *

Most of her classes seemed to go by okay. There was still plenty of staring but she tried her best to ignore it. By the time that lunch came around Alice was a bit nervous. At her former school she usually would sneak off campus to eat by herself. She doubted that she would be able to do the same thing at Forks. The school wasn't exactly huge so it was probably harder to skip class without someone noticing. It was easier to do something like that at a bigger school.

Jasper met up with her right before she was about to go into the cafeteria. He seemed relieved to find her and he reached to throw his arm over her shoulders just like Edward had done. In fact the two of them had been doing that since the day had started. They were protective and she wasn't sure why. She wasn't used to anyone looking out for her, let alone two people. They walked into the cafeteria together and joined the line.

"Is the food any good?"

"Sometimes, depends on what you view as good."

"Is it edible?"

"Edward seems to inhale his food so I guess so."

His words made Alice grin. She was glad that her brothers got along as well as they did. It made things easier and not at all awkward. They moved along in the line, trays in hand and went to pay. Carlisle had handed Alice a debit card the previous night when he went to check on her. He explained that both Jasper and Edward had their own bank accounts. Sometimes Esme and Carlisle put money into the accounts. It was only fitting that they would do the same thing but Jasper insisted on paying for her meal.

She looked around to try to figure out where she would be sitting. Jasper gently nudged her in the side before nodding his head towards the left. Her gaze went to where he had motioned to. One of the tables was up against a wall and most of the seats seemed to be taken already. It took Alice a few seconds to realize that Edward was at that table along with Bella and two others. The sight of them was daunting in a way. She wasn't used to being social and lunch for her usually meant studying or doing some reading.

In spite of how she was feeling she walked over and took the empty seat to Edward's right. Bella was seated at his left and the seat next to Alice was empty. Naturally Jasper sat there and then, everyone was looking her way. She knew that it was time to make the ever-so-awkward introductions. Why couldn't she have just gone outside to eat? After glancing out the window she realized that it wouldn't have been a good idea anyway. It was raining and she had noticed some lightening streaking across the gray sky.

"Everyone meet Alice," said Edward, throwing his arm over the back of her chair," Alice meet Bella, my girlfriend," he motioned to Bella who waved," And Rosalie," he pointed towards the only other girl at the table," And that giant is Emmett."

Alice's eyes went to everyone as they were introduced. There was no doubt in her mind that Rosalie was beautiful. She could probably pass for a supermodel if she wanted. Edward wasn't making a joke about Emmett being a giant. He looked like he was going to break the chair that he was sitting in. She shook her head, feeling somewhat amused. If they stood side by side she was sure that they would look extremely funny.

She quickly realized that everyone was waiting on her to say something," It's nice to meet all of you."

Everyone seemed to fall into easy conversation after that. Alice was relieved that not all of the attention was on her. She settled for listening to everyone while trying to eat. The food didn't look totally disgusting but school food was never that good. However she didn't mind the fruit that was on her plate. She tried to participate in the conversation but she had always preferred listening to actually talking.

"So Alice what's it like living with these two?" asked Emmett, motioning towards both Edward and Jasper," The girls here probably hate that they aren't you right now."

From the look on Emmett's face, he wasn't kidding. Alice chanced looking around the crowded room, noticing a few people sneaking glances in their general direction. It seemed that her new family was in the spotlight when it came to Forks. That was something that was going to take a lot of getting used to.

Alice shrugged, not sure how to answer him," It's okay, I mean, they are both really nice."

Was that the right thing to say? Emmett seemed pleased with that answer because he went right back to stuffing his face.

"What's your next class?" asked Bella a few seconds later.

Alice hadn't memorized her schedule yet so she had to go digging into her bag. It took her only a few seconds before she pulled it out. After swallowing her food she took a look at the paper, surprised to see that it was an art class. No one had been told about how much she liked art. It had been the only class that she had even enjoyed.

"Alice?" prodded Edward, noticing the look on her face.

She quickly looked up at the sound of her name and looked over at Bella," Oh, sorry, I have art next."

* * *

It turned out that Rosalie had the same class as Alice. The two girls headed out at the same time with Edward trailing not far behind. They filed into the classroom and of course Alice went to have the teacher sign the form. She turned to see where Edward and Rosalie had sat. They were in the center of the room but they weren't alone. There was a guy sitting to the right of Rosalie who was talking with her.

He was wearing a leather jacket and his hair was tied back into a ponytail. That wasn't the only thing that made him stick out, the cigarette tucked behind his ear and the smirk on his face helped. He practically radiated danger and Alice bit down on her lip. Should she go to sit with them or go somewhere else? It took a few seconds for her feet to catch up with her brain. She found herself sitting down between Rosalie and Edward.

"Who's this?" the guy asked, his eyes instantly going over to her.

Rosalie angled her body so that she was facing him," This is Alice, Edward's sister," she looked over at Alice," And this is James, he's not as dangerous as he looks."

"Don't go telling her that!" exclaimed James, mock hurt in his eyes.

Alice did her best to not smile but failed," It's nice to meet you James."

He reached for her hand to her surprise and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. She froze up the moment that his lips made contact with her skin. Edward was the one to pull her hand free.

"Lay off James," he warned, not even seeming playful," She's off limits."

James playfully held his hands up as if he was giving up. The teacher cleared his throat and soon class was starting. Everyone fell into an easy silence, just focusing on their work. They were painting that day so Alice had to sit stick straight to even reach the top of the easel. The look on her face was one of absolute calm, almost peace.

She wasn't even paying attention to what everyone else was doing. Whenever she did art, she always got lost in it. It had always been her escape from everything that was going on her life. That was probably never going to change for her. She didn't even notice James had moved to stand behind her and see what she was doing.

"Not bad," he observed, his voice made Alice jump.

She looked over her shoulder at him in surprise.

He laughed, motioning towards her painting," Are you an artist?"

"I guess you could say that."

Before he could try to say anything more she turned so that her back was facing him. He seemed to get the hint and she was relieved to be left alone. The rest of the class seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Alice was only snapped out of it by Edward gently shaking her shoulder.

"Class is over Alice," he stated, motioning towards everyone that was getting up and heading out of the room.

She blushed at the fact that she seemed to have drifted off. Edward took the brush from her hand to go wash it off. The two of them left the room together.

* * *

Most of the day went by smoothly after that. However Alice was relieved to be walking over to the car. She ignored the stares that people were still sending her way. By the time that school had ended the rain had only gotten worse. It was the kind of the rain that made it hard to see what was in front of you.

Jasper and Edward were already waiting by the car but they hadn't gotten in. When Edward noticed her coming he ran around the car to open the passenger door for her. She rushed to get into the car and out of the rain. Her teeth were chattering and she couldn't stop shaking. Her clothes felt like a second skin due to how wet they were.

"We should have gotten you an umbrella," muttered Jasper from the backseat. Both Jasper and Edward were looking at her with complete concern.

Alice just shrugged, reaching to turn on the heat. All she wanted was to get home and get into some dry clothes. The drive didn't take too long and she all but ran inside. Esme and Carlisle were both still at work. They had left some money to order pizza or Chinese on the counter. She hurried into her room, stripping off her clothing the moment that the door was closed. They were replaced by a simple black tank top, yoga pants and a navy blue sweatshirt.

By the time that she walked down the stairs she saw Edward on the phone. Jasper had turned the TV on and it was on some sports show. She wasn't sure if she should sit with them or go up to her room. It was still awkward even though she felt better about the entire situation. Finally she walked over to sit beside Jasper on one of the leather L-shaped couches.

"So what are we watching?"

"Sports, is that okay?"

Instead of responding Alice shrugged. She rarely ever watched TV and sports weren't all that interesting to her. However she didn't see the point in objecting. Both of her brothers had been more than accommodating since she had arrived. Some people wouldn't have responded so nicely. The two of them fell into an easy silence after that. The only sound came from the television and Edward on the phone. It sounded like he was arguing with someone and Alice swore she heard him say Bella's name more than once.

"Is he okay?" she whispered, looking over at Jasper.

He hadn't seemed to notice the fact that his brother was arguing on the phone. He glanced over his shoulder to see what exactly was making Alice concerned. Once he had, he looked over at her and shrugged.

"I'm not sure."

It was rare that Bella and Edward ever argued or fought. Needless to say Jasper was curious but he wasn't about to ask questions. He had never been one to pry into anyone's business. The only time he listened to anyone's problems was if they came to him. It was what made a lot of people trust him when it came down to it.

Finally after another ten minutes Edward slammed the phone down on the receiver and went to join them. Alice found herself sandwiched between the two of them. No one said a word but there was obvious tension. She almost wanted to get up and leave the room. The only reason that she didn't was because she knew that it would be rude. Plus she wanted to be there for Edward like he had been there for her the entire day. He had been the one to remind her about her pain medications and help her with her school work when she couldn't do it herself.

Edward's jaw was clenched and his hands were held in fists. Everything about him radiated anger and it didn't seem like it was going to go away anytime soon. Alice's movements were slow, almost cautious as she went to move closer to him. Her head slowly fell onto his shoulder and she sighed. He looked down at her, clearly perplexed at what she had done. Yet he didn't move away like she thought he might. Instead his head came to rest against hers.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, hoping he would be willing to talk about it. Even though she wasn't exactly familiar with how siblings were supposed to act she knew that they were supposed to trust each other.

He sighed, clearly unsure how to answer her question," Bella's mad at me for not wanting to go over to her house," he paused," Her dad is going to be at the station all night and she wanted to be alone with me."

Why would he say no? A lot of guys would have leaped at the chance to go spend the night at their girlfriend's house. It usually meant that they would get lucky or whatever. Alice nodded slowly, not entirely sure if she should say anything. It was going to take a lot of time for her to figure out what was okay and what wasn't. She didn't know how to handle the sibling situation and how to act around them.

"Why don't you want to go over there?"

"Mom and dad want me to stay home for a while," he paused," So that I can get to know you better and vice versa."

He was staying home because of her?

She settled on not saying anything about it in case it would make things that much worse. Instead she just curled up against his side and focused on the screen. Not even noticing how Jasper was looking over at them. Jasper had been staring at the two of them from the moment that he had felt the couch shift, realizing Alice had moved closer to Edward. Something inside of him seemed to have snapped.

What was the feeling that was currently stirring inside of him? It took Jasper a few seconds to realize that what he was feeling was jealously. It was something that he hadn't felt in a long time. The only other times that he had felt jealous was back when he had been with his biological family. He remembered feeling jealous when he saw the other kids in class with their brand new clothes, backpacks and toys. They had all been things that he wasn't able to have because of his parents.

Why was he feeling jealous about the fact that Alice was curled up with Edward? That didn't make any sense to him and he didn't like it. Without saying a word, he got up and hurried to his room. He knew that they would probably wonder why he had abruptly left but he didn't care. He just needed to get away from them so that he could clear his head. There was no reason for him to be jealous of his brother. In fact he should have been glad that the two of them were getting along so well.

So why couldn't he get the nagging feeling in the back of his mind to go away?

* * *

"So what do you like on your pizza?" asked Edward, holding up a menu to one of the few pizza places in town.

Alice was seated at the counter with her legs crossed beneath her. The hood of her sweatshirt was pulled up and she had her arms wrapped around herself. The two of them had been talking for a while before deciding that it was time to order dinner. She was surprised to find out that they weren't going to cook something. From what she had seen there was more than enough food in the kitchen. Esme probably kept it well stocked because she had two teenage boys in the house. They were practically bottomless pits from what Alice had seen.

"Um, cheese?" she suggested, not knowing what else," Actually just order whatever you and Jasper usually get, that's fine with me."

Edward looked at her with skeptical eyes. Instead of commenting he nodded and went to grab the phone. Soon he had ordered his and Jasper's usual which was the Philly cheese steak pizza. Some people might have found it disgusting but they loved it. He set the phone down once he had finished talking.

"We are going to have to go pick it up, people tend to get lost coming out here," he said, motioning all around them," I'll go see if Jasper wants to pick it up or if he wants me to go."

He took the stairs two at a time and went into Jasper's room. Some people would have knocked but Edward never did. He strolled right on in to find out what his brother was doing. Jasper was standing to the left and was using a pull up bar. His shirt was tossed to the side and there was a look of intense focus on his face. It was rare that anyone ever saw Jasper without a shirt on. Usually he wore long sleeves all year round, no matter what. They hid the scars that decorated his torso and a good portion of his arms. Every single scar had been inflicted by his father.

"I ordered pizza," he said, looking around the room, he knew Jasper hated it when people stared," Do you want to pick it up? I can go if you want."

"I'll go," said Jasper, not even breaking his focus," I'll take Alice with me."

"You should head out in about ten minutes," stated Edward before leaving the room, not sure what was going on with Jasper. Some part of him wasn't sure that he even wanted to know.

Jasper didn't know what was going on with him. He didn't even know why he had decided to say he would take Alice with him. What was happening to him? Why was he feeling the need to compete with Edward to spend time with Alice? None of it was making sense and he hated it.


End file.
